Glovebox Manufacturing Expansion Initiative

The objective of the Glovebox Manufacturing Expansion Initiative cooperative agreement is to support investments in facility expansion and equipment modernization of commercial facilities in the United States for the front- and back-end fabrication o

Increasing the manufacturing capability and capacity of certified NQA-1 or ISO9001 nuclear glovebox fabricators.

Only U.S. Commercial entities with the established capability to manufacture nuclear NQA-1 or ISO 9001 certified gloveboxes in accordance with the goals of this NOFO may submit applications. M & O contractors, Institutions of Higher Education and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) are not eligible to apply for an award under this NOFO.

U.S. Commercial entities with the established capability to manufacture nuclear NQA-1 or ISO 9001 certified gloveboxes in accordance with the goals.

Types of Assistance: B - Cooperative Agreement Credentials and Documentation: For Non-government organizations, Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-122 . 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.

The objective of this assistance listing is to increase nuclear glovebox manufacturing capabilities and capacity to meet DOE/NNSA demands by 2030. Funding will support investments in facility expansion and equipment modernization of commercial facilities in the United States for the front- and back-end fabrication of Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 nuclear gloveboxes.

Generally, agreements are approved for one-year to four-year project periods and funded at the discretion of the program office.

Applicants must submit a project narrative and supporting appendices to be officially considered for the expansion initiative. The narrative should detail the following: Brief company history and key personnel expected to be involved in the GMEI program. Contact information; the name, e-mail address, and telephone number Letter validating NQA-1 or ISO 9001 relevant glovebox work with DOE/NNSA M & O facility. Letter can be from relevant M & O project manager and must be on M & O approved letterhead. Current manufacturing capacity 1.) Total floor space and current available floor space for DOE/NNSA work 2.) Number of gloveboxes (by type) produced in a year. 3.) Brief description of other work on fabrication floor including any work contracted with an NNSA Management and Operating (M & O) contractor. Expansion plan description Include objectives of the expansion efforts Projected impacts to manufacturing capacity once expansion is complete. 1). Total floor space available for NNSA work after expansion. 2). Projected number of gloveboxes by glovebox type after expansion If partnering with an established NQA-1/ISO9001 glovebox manufacturer, please provide a joint statement of efforts and how the equipment will impact the overall manufacturing capability of the primary fabrication location. If other process improvements/manufacturing initiatives have been implemented, please describe the effort(s). Short description of NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 cybersecurity implementation efforts If a security audit has been conducted by an NNSA M & O contractor, please provide a summary of findings and remediation efforts.

All timely applications under this NOFO that satisfactorily passed the initial compliance review are eligible for a comprehensive merit review. Prior to conducting the comprehensive merit review, an initial review will be performed to determine whether: (1) the applicant is eligible for award; (2) the information required in the NOFO has been submitted; (3) all other mandatory requirements of the NOFO satisfied; and (4) the proposed efforts are responsive to the program objectives of the NOFO. This review is a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications based on the criteria set forth in this NOFO. Each application will be evaluated on the strengths and weaknesses exhibited in relation to the overall merit, approach, business strategy and project management capabilities.

The Merit Review Panel Chairperson is responsible for reviewing the independent findings and ratings of each evaluator, and ultimately completing a Merit Review Panel Chairperson's Report to summarize the findings and make recommendations for awards to the Selection Official. The Selection Official will consider the merit review recommendation, program policy factors, budget evaluations of the expansion plans, and the amount of funds available, when making a decision for awards. The program policy factors and budget evaluations are not point scored, but the Selection Official could consider them in making the selections for negotiation of award. The Selection Official will make a decision to select for award a group of projects which represented a diversity of expansion approaches, methods, applications and/or market segments. Upon the Selection Official making the final decisions, the Contracting Officer notified selectees and non-selectees.

Initial Review: April 15, 2024 - April 19, 2024 Earliest Award Date: May 15, 2024